HBO Max's Next DCU Series Should Look To One Comic For Inspiration, And It's Not From DC

Just as Lanterns took off to high viewership numbers, HBO officially announced the next TV series set in the DCU, The People v. Gorilla Grodd. A true crime mockumentary, the show will focus on the trial that saw DC's nastiest ape sent to prison for the murder of his own father. Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda, the creators behind Netflix's American Vandal, will oversee the series, which means it is in good hands. And with a cast that includes Skyler Gisondo as Superman's pal, Jimmy Olsen and Jimmy Tatro as Grodd, it looks like all the pieces are in place for a very funny and engaging story.

But, when it comes to source material, there's actually very few DC stories for Perrault and Yacenda to pull from. There is, of course, "The Trial of the Flash," which is DC's biggest courtroom drama, but that happened over 40 years ago. Considering how often DC's heroes send their foes to jail, it is somewhat surprising how few stories there are about the next step in the process, when the trial starts and a jury must decide to convict a supervillain or not.

But, luckily, there is a story from another comic universe that explores something very similar. A story that showcases how proving guilt would be much harder in a world of superpowered beings. And it was created by one of the best comic teams of all time: Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson.

Astro City: Local Heroes Explored Criminal Justice In A Superpowered World

In their Astro City series, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson expanded on what Busiek — with Alex Ross — did in the iconic series Marvels. Instead of focusing on the superheroes, the series mainly centers on the lives of the regular citizens of the city and how they go about their lives during and between alien invasions, Crisis-level events, and even small-time super-criminals robbing banks.

One story, making up the final two issues of Astro City: Local Heroes, takes a gander at what looks like an open and shut court case. In the tale, struggling defense lawyer Vince Oleck is tasked by his firm to represent Richie Forgione, the son of a mob boss who murdered a woman in a night club in front of dozens of witnesses. Oleck knows that if he doesn't somehow win his unwinnable case, Forgione's father will have him, as mob bosses like to say in movies, rubbed out.

But an off-handed remark by his wife gives Oleck the answer he needs. Yes, some 40 people saw Richie kill the woman. And, yes, his fingerprints and DNA were found at the scenes. But was that Richie? In a world of shapeshifters and evil doppelganger from other realities, how could anyone be sure — beyond a reasonable doubt — that it was actually him?

In just two issues, Busiek and Anderson fully flesh out how different criminal cases would be in a world where these things are nearly every day occurrences. And, in doing so, they have given DC's next series a blueprint to work off of.

The People V. Gorilla Grodd Can Examine The DCU's Justice System

With The People v. Gorilla Grodd, Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda have the chance to really make a mark on the longest running superhero comic book universe by examining the justice system. While the show itself is set years after the trial, it is clear that the trial itself will play a big role in the story and that, more likely than not, viewers will get to see at least some of the court proceedings during the series. So far, every DCU project has in some way informed the audience on how this world is different from the one we live it, and this series shouldn't be any different.

Like Astro City, the existence of superpowered beings is not a new concept in the DCU — Superman opens by telling us metahumans have been around for at least 300 years — so everything needs to be looked at under that lense. And so far, that has been the path the DCU's creators have followed. Creature Commandos not only shows that the world is aware of Themyscira and that Batman is running about, but that weird monsters are pretty common. Peacemaker name-drops DC heroes and villains like there's no tomorrow and showcases how the heroes are not unlike celebrities: Peacemaker is showing up to talk to kids at a school and he's a C or D level hero at best.

And, most of all, Superman is evidence that giant Kaijus and world-destroying machines are so common, the people of Metropolis barely react to them or, when the threat is big enough, already know how to evacuate from the city. Meanwhile, Lanterns has further examined the celebrity of superheroes, with Hal Jordan posing for selfies and signing autographs while also showing how people are pretty up to date on the adventures of the heroes; there appears to be a whole Wikipedia page about Sinestro.

Now The People v. Gorilla Grodd gives the DCU a chance to dig into just what it takes to put a superpowered person (or ape) behind bars. And boy are they lucky that Kurt Busiek had already put some thought into it, making their jobs easier.